Evergrande gets an early present

Guangzhou side defeats Liaoning to clinch title with one round left

Marcello Lippi's suit was wet when he made his way into the press room on Saturday.

An hour earlier, the 64-year-old Italian had been tossed in the air by his players at Tianhe Stadium, where Guangzhou Evergrande won its second consecutive Chinese Super League title with a 1-0 victory over Liaoning Hongyun.

"I don't know what made my suit wet," he said. "Everyone on the field is happy - after all, it is my first Chinese league title, in my first year in China."

Chinese striker Gao Lin's goal in stoppage time allowed Guangzhou to clinch the title a round early in front of a crowd decked out in the club's trademark red.

Lippi was named coach in May, controversially replacing successful South Korean Lee Jang-soo.

"This is very special because it is the first time I have won a league overseas, and I feel good doing it in China, which is far away from Italy," said Lippi, who led Italy to a World Cup title in 2006.

The win didn't completely cure Lippi's blues after an early exit from the Asian Champions League.

"We really did very well during this year's Asian Champions League," he said. "But unfortunately, we are out of the competition. We should have entered the final and claimed another title this year.

"When I signed a contract with the Guangzhou team, I knew I came here not just to defend the Chinese league title. I want to lead the team to an international stage."

Lippi said his ambitions run beyond the Chinese League.

"I came to Guangzhou, not to become a successful coach with many titles," said Lippi, who has five Serie A titles to his credit. "You know that I have already won several trophies in my career in Italy."

Lippi said he aims to help the game in China.

"For me, the most important goal is to improve Chinese players' understanding of soccer," said Lippi, who became head of Guangzhou Evergrande's soccer school early this month.

"In Italy, I had the same feelings when claiming a league title. In China, I need to build up a team that is of strong competitiveness in playing different tournaments, either in the domestic league or the international competition."

The CSL enjoyed a rebirth this year, with vast investment in big-name foreign players and coaches bringing positive headlines after years of scandals, most notably match-fixing, which resulted in the jailing of several senior officials and players.

"The Chinese league is heading toward a good international approach, and we are competing for more titles," Lippi said.

The big-spending club also reached the final of China's FA Cup, which will be played over two legs next month.

"We are making efforts to add another Chinese trophy," Lippi said.

Star import Dario Conca spoke of his own ambition to win more titles with Evergrande.

"Winning trophies is the most important thing in my professional career, either in Brazil or China," he said. "I want to share the glory with my family, especially my little son."

After winning his second CSL title, the Argentine international, who joined the club in the summer of 2011, appears set on returning next year for another shot at the Champions League. Guangzhou was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad on Oct 3.

"I am happy to stay with a club that always fights for titles," Conca said.

qiuquanlin@chinadaily.com.cn